


Delta Quadrant Etiquette

by linguisticallycunning



Series: Today is Tomorrow [2]
Category: Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/F, Gratuitous Smut, New Relationship, Seven Needs a Hug, Smoking, Smut, Spoilers, Star Trek: Picard Spoilers, seriously if you haven’t seen it don’t blame me, some foul language is used, the kinnea are back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:00:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23043625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linguisticallycunning/pseuds/linguisticallycunning
Summary: Picking up where Janeway Beta leaves off, we find our space pirates gathered together at last. Seven and Janeway are together but what does that even mean in the face of Picard and his revelations?!!! There are major Picard spoilers in this one !!!This takes place immediately after the events of Janeway Beta which immediately follows the ST:P episode “Stardust City Rag”
Relationships: Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine
Series: Today is Tomorrow [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656022
Comments: 59
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go!
> 
> I realized once I got caught up on Picard that I could nestle these stories immediately after Stardust City Rag. This is basically Seven’s subplot story the way I see it.

Seven’s House on Fenris

The morning light trickled in amber angles through the large window’s of Seven’s house on Fenris. She’d lived there nearly five years now but it still seldom felt like home to her. Of course the idea of home to Seven was always a fleeting one. It never lasted. But something significant had shifted and shifted quite suddenly. The presence of Kathryn Janeway in Seven’s space, in her house, after all these years, made it feel something like home. It was surreal in every aspect and neither of them had time to process much as they had been wrenched from sleep by none other than the great Picard.

A little furball scuttled away from raised voices. It was followed by another streak, this one black, until both creatures were safely hidden under the couch. From this low vantage point they could both see and here without being visible. One extra human was one thing but this was too much. The kinnea were a wise species, fiercely loyal but also slow to trust. It was built into their survival instinct. The influx of three strangers was enough to panic the little dog-cats, there were too many smells, too many sensations. So the sensory overload led them to hide and judge the newcomers from a distance.

They were nearly all assembled now. Everyone but Rios and Agnes anyway. Agnes had stayed sequestered in her cabin since leaving Freecloud. Rios figured someone had to stay with the ship, La Sirena. They may be in a protected enclave but when meeting with a known and wanted vigilante, it was best to be prepared. Had he known the former Admiral Janeway would be present, he might have reconsidered but given how well his introduction to Picard had gone, he’d probably made the right choice in staying behind.

Seated around the table were several sleepy faces, all tensely grasping mugs of various beverages. To be fair, the table was split between tea and coffee, the tie breaker, Elnor, having discovered the new wonder of hot chocolate. Had Seven not seen him fight, she’d have doubted why he was a member of this rabble. He was so…young. Seven felt as though she had never truly been that young. Though his unabashed candor was a relief to her senses. Being raised by warrior women seemed to have many benefits and Seven had to admit to feeling a little jealous at his upbringing.

Raffi sat to Elnor’s right. She was sipping her tea, her eyes jumping between the trio of Picard, Seven, and the barely introduced Admiral Janeway. Except she wasn’t an admiral anymore, like Jean-Luc she’d resigned her commission after Mars. Then she’d fallen off the map. Raffi could not quite surmise the dynamic but there was clearly more to it than met the eye.

Next to Raffi sat Jean-Luc, JL, Captain of lost causes. His eyes traveled around evenly, clearly amused both by Elnor’s discovery of hot chocolate as well as Raffi’s reaction to Kathryn Janeway. He did have to admit he was impressed by Seven’s capacities though her methods left a bit to be desired. In fact, the presence of Janeway was a bit of a relief to him. He clearly held no sway over Seven of Nine but he needed her help. He couldn’t live with her body count however. It was not his way. He had clearly failed at convincing her of that. Perhaps Janeway would have greater success. Certainly the sudden softness in Seven’s eyes spoke volumes. It was gone as quickly as it came but Jean-Luc had noticed its light glinting in the time-worn features of his old colleague.

Kathryn Janeway had aged, they all had. Her once vibrant red hair was now mottled with silver to the point it was almost entirely gray. The lines in her face had deepened and there was a hard, hungry look to her still stormy eyes. She could feel Seven’s knee lightly press against hers beneath the table when Jean-Luc resumed talking.

“So you see, we were successful on FreeCloud but it wasn’t enough. I need your help, Seven, if you’re still willing, but killing out of vengeance I cannot abide.”

“You said you were a ranger, that it was about defense,” Kathryn felt her cheeks flush as her temper rose. She turned and looked dead at Seven. “But a vendetta?” Images of Captain Ransom spun across Kathryn’s mind. She knew. She also knew she could not condone it for Seven anymore than she had for herself. Ransom was one of the many regrets she harbored from the Delta Quadrant. His death had been both pointless and oddly just. And she was complicit, even just by default.

“Bjayzl may have been a harvester but there were other ways,” Picard argued to no avail.

“She wasn’t just a harvester! That would have been bad enough. But she was the boss, it was her idea, her orchestration. And she used me to score her best prizes. There was no recourse for her. Not one Ranger would have left her alive.”

Just as Kathryn was about to interject, just as she was about to lose her faith, Seven turned back to her, grasping at her shoulder as she did so. Instinctively, Kathryn covered Seven’s hand with her own. Turning slightly, she saw an unfamiliar look in Seven’s wide eyes.

“She killed Icheb! Tortured him, stripped him with no anesthesia, looking for this cortical node,” Seven yelled pointing at her own face. “The one he gave up all those years ago to save me.”

Seven’s rage was only metered by her misery as her voice cracked. The horror was mirrored on Janeway’s face and she dropped her hand from Seven’s shoulder. The flush of her cheeks, so obvious upon the arrival of the others, faded in an instant leaving her features ashen in shock. No words sprung to her lips as memories of Icheb leapt across her mind’s eye.

Picard watched the exchange between the two women, his hopes for intervention fading with color from Janeway’s face. He hadn’t known Icheb, though he had known of him, a recovered Borg child entering Starfleet was no small news.

Finally tearing her eyes from Seven, Janeway looked hard at Picard. With tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, she finally spoke.

“Icheb was special, we saved him twice, once from the Borg and once once from his own parents. And after all that, he risked his own life by giving Seven his cortical node when hers had failed. He was family.”

“I can understand that,” Raffi chimed in as she began to get the momentum of the dynamics. “But I’m guessing Seven didn’t mention that the woman she wasted happened to be her ex.”

“That’s neither here nor there,” Seven steamed as Janeway’s face contorted into an unreadable expression. Before she could respond, she was cut off by Jean-luc.

“We’re wasting time with this,” Picard finally said, his best command presence rolling over their rabble. “We are not here to discuss morality, but moving forward, vendettas are off the table,” he met Seven’s eyes. She curled her lip, arching her implant but said nothing.

“We need to start by finding Soji, that much is apparent. We will be heading out tomorrow morning, first thing. If you are willing to help, and not fire first, meet us at the hangar at 0600.”

Picard drained his mug and stood, all the aura of the old captain surrounding him.

“Thank you for the tea, Seven. Admiral, it is good to see you again. We have much to catch up on so I hope you’ll join us.”

“I do have a soft spot for lost causes,” she rasped, her own command mask settling into place. “And I think just Kathryn will suffice these days, Jean-Luc. Though maybe not in front of the kids,” she winked before casting her eye in Elnor’s direction.

Raffi stood as well, the look on her face belying her curiosity. Only Elnor remained seated, looking mournfully at the bottom of his empty mug. He rose slowly and turned to go.

“Thank you for the hot chocolate,” he said quietly. “It was delicious.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday!

Alone again, Kathryn stared at Seven. There was clearly a lot of water under the bridge. A lot of water, named Bjayzl, among other things. And Icheb!

It was nearly 0900 but she felt ready for a drink already. Seven was staring at her, clearly struck dumb by the fearsome blast of reality that had just blown through her door. Time had suddenly jumped and for a moment it felt like old times. But one quick glance around reminded both women that a lifetime had passed since then.

“I think I owe you breakfast,” Seven said, bringing Kathryn back to the night before. A shudder ran up her spine at Seven’s slightly sultry words.

“I could say the same, except it is your house,” Kathryn bantered back, her stomach growling. “Mostly it’s more coffee I’m interested in.”

“Your stomach seems to object,” Seven smirked. “There’s biscuits from last night if you’re really not hungry.”

With that, Seven turned her back on Kathryn and started to make another pot of coffee. Kathryn watched her move, the words of the previous conversation bouncing around her head like a ping pong ball.

“What I want is a drink,” she said with a sigh, expecting Seven to chastise her.

“Me too. But we should eat first?” Half command, half still approval seeking, the new Seven of Nine.

“Fine, yes, let’s eat,” Kathryn relented. “Then we talk.”

“Fine,” Seven agreed, her back still to Kathryn. Seven didn’t really want to talk, at least not about a lot of it. And Icheb, well that was just gutting. She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. She knew Picard could never understand why she had to do what she did, not really. Kathryn might not either, though not for the same reasons.

They ate biscuits with butter and honey with more coffee. Seven also quickly scrambled some eggs. The day was already proving to be long, it would feel much longer if they neglected to eat. The eggs and biscuits were good enough to keep them silent as they plowed their way through nearly all of it, giving the scarce leftovers to Sam and Maggie. The kinnea cried for more but had to settle with getting a run in the garden.

The sun was bright and Kathryn’s eyes ached watching the little beasts frolic around. She felt Seven walk up behind her. Slowly, she wrapped her long arms around Kathryn’s torso, pulling them tightly together. Kathryn shuddered as her heart started to race but her anger rose instead and she twisted in Seven’s arms.

“We have a lot to talk about,” she said, pulling away from Seven. She whistled and the kinnea stopped playing and followed her back into the house. Seven stepped outside instead, she wasn’t ready to have this conversation. Her head pounded at the thought of Icheb and she suddenly regretted forcing breakfast on them. Slowly the wave of nausea passed. Seven inhaled deeply, trying to gather her scattered emotions, before she turned and walked back into the house, closing the door behind her.

Seven expected to see Kathryn sitting in the living room but she was nowhere to be found. Sam and Maggie were happily munching kibble in the kitchen but Kathryn must have gone upstairs. Seven thought of calling out but then she heard footfall on the steps so she waited.

Kathryn appeared, now wearing a black, cable knit sweater that had seen better days. She was scowling at Seven.

“I told you everything,” Kathryn hissed, the note of anger rumbling like distant thunder beneath her words. “And you held back. I can’t say I’m surprised but I am disappointed.”

She sat down heavily, the force of her words reflected in her deliberate actions. She wouldn’t look at Seven.

Seven felt dizzy for a moment. That tone brooked no argument. But they had come too far to turn back now. She had deliberately kept Bjayzl out of their conversations. Icheb was a different story.

Undeterred by Seven’s silent stance, Kathryn continued, “Maybe you should sit down and start from the beginning.”

Suddenly it was twenty years ago and Seven found herself complying, without hesitation, to the order she was just given. Sitting at the opposite end of the couch from Kathryn, Seven stared off, out the large windows, and took a bracing breath. Then she began.

“I told you about being adrift, after Chakotay and after everyone scattered. I ended up taking a position at Daystrom and for a time, it was tolerable. They were more open minded there, more willing to overlook my borgness. But then Mars happened and all hell broke loose. I don’t have to tell you about that. I was captured but I escaped. It was an amateur attempt and I was lucky. The harvesters are no joke though, sick bastards all of them. And that’s what brought me to Fenris.

“I was on the lam and just running from planet to star base, just trying to stay ahead of them. One night, I was on a station a few light years from here, I was having a drink in what passed for a tavern when I was suddenly jumped by two of the ugliest aliens I’d ever seen. I held my own for awhile but just as I was about to get clobbered, this human steps in. I was shocked. I hadn’t noticed any other humans in the bar. Despite his slightness, he tossed off the thugs before ferrying me directly out of the bar. It was only a few weeks after my run-in with the harvesters and I was pretty shook up. I don’t require saving anymore now than I ever did,” Seven exhaled haughtily, an air of her old arrogance trailing after her words.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Kathryn intoned, arching her eyebrow but Seven ignored her and continued undeterred by her commentary.

“His name was Phaezeli and he was originally from a border settlement. He was impressed with my fighting prowess he told me. Then he offered me a job. With the Fenris Rangers. That much I told you before,” Seven said finally looking over at Kathryn.

“I was angry. And I know you were too. But in some ways, I think I was meant to find my own way out here,” Seven sighed, her resignation evident. She watched as Kathryn’s face contorted slightly belying her own ire. Then her lips parted and Seven could do nothing but stare while she waited for the words to fall.

“They didn’t break you though,” to which Seven snorted. “They broke me, Seven. I told you that when you found me,” Kathryn sighed, suddenly feeling the ache of her age. “I was angry too, at you, the world, Starfleet! But when mom started to get sick, I was just angry by then. And I gave into it,” Kathryn snapped, her voice sounding arch and sad at the same time. She exhaled sharply but continued, carried on by the years of anger still clinging to her skin. Seven was taken aback by this new wave of temper. Kathryn hadn’t said all that much on their voyage here. A few stories combined with what was in her official files were all Seven had really gleaned.

“When the brass were closing ranks after Mars, I exploded. I threw every ounce of my ire at Starfleet, at their cruel incompetence, at their blind eyes, and especially at the enthusiasm for the clandestine. This was no longer a Starfleet I could recognize let alone respect. And that’s exactly what I told them. And to avoid any further scandal, they fast tracked my resignation instead of cashiering me publicly. I think I might have preferred the latter. Who would have believed it then? Now? I’m just and old tired cog in their propaganda machine. A wanted one at that,” Kathryn’s cheeks were flushed with the shame of the memory. Her father would have hated the scene she’d caused, almost as much as he would have hated the failings of his precious ‘Fleet. Edward Janeway would not have recognized this force called Starfleet. Their honor was in tatters, their justice was just a show for the more sinister factions that really wielded the power. He would not have objected to Kathryn’s resignation. It was the scene he would have hated but his oldest daughter only had the one volume when she was enraged.

Seven watched as Kathryn warily met her eye again. Even after all these years, Seven could see through Kathryn’s cover fire. Her command mask had barely worked on Seven way back then. Now, Seven could see the explosion of ire for what it truly was, guilt. But Seven wasn’t willing to let her off the hook just yet so she waited.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Icheb?” She said it so quietly Seven had to strain even with her enhanced hearing. Kathryn’s eyes were wide and swirled with an ocean of sadness. She knew the answer. She had failed them.

“How could I? We hadn’t spoken. And then I wasn’t coming back. I had decided to make my way out here,” Seven evaded out of habit but looking at Kathryn broke through her shielding. “I couldn’t even think about it, for a long time, I couldn’t even say his name.”

Kathryn could see the tears clinging to the red edges of Seven’s eyes. The once brilliantly turquoise eyes had darkened over the years, leaving Seven with the deepest blue eyes Kathryn had ever seen. The impending tears only added an eerie iridescence to their dark depths.

“They ripped him apart. And I—I had to deactivate him. He begged me—

The tears broke there and Kathryn closed the small distance between them, wrapping her arms around the shaking Seven. This was long in coming and Kathryn felt her own body convulse with the sheer grief of it.

“It was over thirteen years ago now,” Seven rasped. “It was his first assignment out of the academy. The USS Cole. But it had been an ambush, a trap. And they caught him. I didn’t get there in time,” Seven’s voice cracked again as the quiet sobbing returned.

Kathryn’s heart sank further downward. She’d already disappeared by then. She had kept track of her old crew, mostly from a distance, until she’d resigned. Since then the guilt had built some high walls around her. She couldn’t believe she didn’t know about Icheb. It made her stomach lurch. For a second she thought she might be sick but instead she held Seven tighter until the wave passed.

They’d been talking for awhile already but it was apparent they were still nowhere. As if sensing the flow of tears, the kinnea had emerged to cling to the two crying women. Their furry little bodies emitted an endorphin that worked as a low grade depressant that did wonders on anxiety. Grief was another story but Sam and Maggie gave it their best.

It was nearly one now and the effects of the mornings caffeine were fading. Kathryn’s face ached from the unexpected tears. She needed something but she couldn’t tell what exactly.

“You ready for that drink yet,” Kathryn deadpanned, fighting to speak through the thickness of the tears.

“I am if you are,” Seven countered, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

Surprised, Kathryn could do nothing but nod as she felt Seven extricate herself from both Janeway and the kinnea. Ever efficient, Seven crossed the room quickly and returned moments later with two glasses of straight bourbon whiskey. She set them both on the coffee table.

“I should have told you,” Seven began to apologize but Kathryn cut her off.

“No, well yes, _you_ should have told me but I should have known, I should have!” Guilt barreled up Janeway’s veins, a familiar sensation and a very unwelcome one. Few things had done more damage to Kathryn Janeway in the course of her life than guilt had. “I gave up a Seven.”

With that she picked up the glass Seven had placed before her. She raised it in a sorry, little half toast as Seven did the same.

“To Icheb.”

“To Icheb,” echoed Seven before downing the shot as quick and as clean as her old mentor had done.

For a long moment , they just stared at each other as the bourbon burned its way down both their throats.

“There’s a little more to this story isn’t there?” There it was, that tone. And Seven’s spine straightened an iota before she replied.

“That is a different story entirely. One that I will require another drink before telling,” Seven blinked and there was a flash of something Kathryn didn’t recognize. It almost looked like guilt. Things had certainly changed over the years, it certainly seemed Seven had become far more human than Kathryn Janeway herself.


	3. Chapter Three

Returning with the bottle, Seven poured them both another round. Kathryn could feel her jealousy rising and the liquor wasn’t necessarily helping. She had no right to that jealousy she tried to tell herself. She had no claim on Seven. She certainly hadn’t been a nun all these years. But relationships had never been her aim. Any whiff of commitment and she was out the door. But even knowing her own spotty record was not enough to dampen the jealousy, nor did it extinguish the awful image of Seven being touched by anyone that wasn’t her. She sipped at the second drink, it was still early and she didn’t want to be drunk. She wanted to be braced. But there was no amount of support to drown out the words Seven began to speak.

“It was a long time ago,” she began but Kathryn interjected.

“What was a long time ago? Not the murder, Picard said you just did that!”

“Why do you even want to hear this?”

“I don’t. But I think I need to so please get on with it!”

Seven’s anger had risen with the scent of Kathryn’s jealousy. She would have preferred a different story to tell but this was the one she had. The one Kathryn had saddled her with when she held back her true feelings all those years ago on Voyager. So with a deep breath and a belt of whiskey, Seven began.

“I met Jay almost fourteen years ago. And at the time, she was just a beautiful club girl doing some good deeds with the recovery forces. She wasn’t really. She got close to me to infiltrate the Rangers. And it worked. In more ways than one,” Seven snorted in disgust but continued.

“I was different then, maybe more as you remember me, but I was desperately trying to adapt faster than I ever had before. I knew after Mars that I couldn’t be known as Borg anymore. It shook me,” Seven looked up through haunted eyes that pained Janeway to see.

“When I met Jay she had no idea I was Borg. My face implant was merely an aesthetic enhancement or some shit I made up. She must have believed it because she made wanting her very easy.”

Kathryn was seething inside but she bit hard on her lip allowing Seven to continue. She wasn’t sure where to direct her anger but containing it was becoming a challenge.

“I fell for her. Her act was far more effective than my own. It was almost sweet in the beginning. She brought me presents, usually they were just simple little things but they became more valuable as she started to really court me. And it had been a long time since I’d felt wanted. Jay lavished me with attentions.”

“So what, she bought trinkets and you followed her home!” Kathryn exploded.

“Actually, it was the other way around,” Seven replied cooly. “Do you want me to continue or are you just going to yell?”

“I guess we’ll just have to find out,” Kathryn growled in response but her stubborn silence allowed Seven to continue.

“I may not have told Bjayzl about the Borg thing but I trusted her anyway. I told her things about my past, about Voyager, about you. She played me the whole time,” Seven spat, slamming her now empty glass on the coffee table.

“Were you in love with her?” Kathryn hurled the question but regretted it immediately as she did not really want to know the answer.

Seven sat back, momentarily stunned by Kathryn’s bluntness.

“I—I think I was at first. It’s hard to say now but yes, for a time she made me happy. It took me far too long to see what she was. And it took even longer to realize what it meant. And by then it was too late. She was the one that arranged the ambush that got Icheb. She had hundreds of Borg survivors slaughtered for their implants.

“When I found out that it was her, I split. The Rangers have been hunting for her ever since. A week ago, the hunt ended.”

Kathryn sat silently steaming as Seven finished. Her cheeks burned, an over-fueled fire of jealousy and anger and hurt. The waves of guilt only stoked the flames as her eyes wandered slowly back to meet Seven’s. She wanted to say something biting, something that contained all of her misplaced hurt. But looking into Seven’s eyes stilled her tongue.

“I don’t know what to say, Seven,” she finally managed, her anger still boiling. “Except, how could you?”

“How could I what? Try and get on with my life? It’s not like you were still around to ‘mentor’ me. Some mentor you were too! Running away from everything, everyone!” Seven’s hurt throttled forward, the ache of wanting Captain Janeway searing through her eidetic synapses.

“You didn’t exactly come looking for me!” Kathryn spat back.

“I wanted to. I needed you. And you said you’d be there. But you weren’t. No one was. So fault me, judge me, if you must, but don’t forget you let me go first. You took one look of me with Chakotay and washed your hands of me!”

Twenty years of anguish poured forth with Seven’s words. They were all true. Tears were running freely down both their faces but the anger hadn’t diminished. Instead, it was as if twenty years vanished.

“You could have told me you were dating my first officer!” Kathryn threw back, knowing full well what Seven’s response would be.

“And bring my exile on sooner? I knew you—

“Knew I what? Loved you? I thought we covered that. Or that I was a coward? We covered that too. In fact you did not say one thing, not one thing that was untrue. And not one thing I don’t regret,” she ended softly, her anger beginning ebb.

Seven watched her, watched as Kathryn’s face twisted, as her breath rattled with teary resonance. Her heart broke again watching this face of regret she knew mirrored her own. They’d come too far to just stay mad about all this shit. So she took the first step.

“Kathryn,” Seven whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Looking up, Kathryn’s eyes looked weary.

“I’m sorry for all of it. I wish it could have been different. A million ways different. But it wasn’t.”

“No,” Kathryn rumbled. “It wasn’t. And it’s useless to focus on the past like that. But I can’t help this jealousy I’m afraid. I suppose that means you might really be stuck with me, Seven of Nine.”

The slightest smile quirked at the edges of Kathryn’s lips and for the first time since Picard had appeared on her doorstep, Seven felt a tiny ray of hope reach her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad they got that off their (ample) chests!
> 
> We will get back to Picard soon but I think these two still have few things to hash out first...


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the absence but the world’s gone a bit mad. As I live in NYC, it’s been a little extra lately! I hope you are all staying safe out there and hopefully you’re chilling at home. 
> 
> I had to raise the rating to E for this chapter. You’ve been warned...

“So you’re not sorry I killed her?” Seven asked genuinely curious about the response.

“Shit Seven, that is a loaded question,” Kathryn evaded as relief began to soften the tight lines around her mouth. “I—well, once upon a time I would have split myself in two to answer you, I think.”

Seven raised her ocular implant and waited for Kathryn to explain herself. Some things really hadn’t changed.

“Captain Janeway would not be any happier than Picard was. Kathryn Janeway is glad you saved her the trouble of having to do it herself.” There it was again, that glint of mischief, dancing in the stormy seas.

Seven felt her pulse accelerate. Kathryn’s jealousy had saved her on more than one occasion. It had vanquished the better part of the Borg in fact. And currently it was unbelievably attractive. Kathryn’s eyes were alive, burning into Seven and wordlessly the anger began to transform into something far more volatile.

“You were in love with her?” Kathryn couldn’t let it go.

“It wasn’t what I feel for you, what I’ve always felt for you, if that’s what you’re asking?”

“I don’t know what I’m asking! All I know is that when I think of you being with anyone else, my blood begins to boil. And when I think of you with her, what’s her name? Vajayjay?”

“Bjayzl,” Seven corrected.

“Right. _Bjayzl._ Well, when I think of you with her, it makes me glad you killed her.”

Sensing a minute shift in Kathryn’s vital signs, Seven replied with a light growl before pouncing on Kathryn with the full force of her body. Surprised, Kathryn found herself suddenly pinned to the couch as Seven began to devour her, starting with her lips. Any objections never made it to her vocal chords as she immediately began to kiss Seven back, all the fury of the past igniting instincts she never knew she possessed.

Their tongues wrestled, still new to this tantalizing game. The need for oxygen was irritating in its persistence and gasping they finally pulled apart. Seven leaned up on her elbows and looked hard into Kathryn’s eyes.

“Do you want to take this upstairs?” She asked, a hopeful eyebrow raised.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Kathryn husked, her voices rippling up and down Seven’s spine.

It took little time for them to race up the stairs, shedding odd articles of clothing as they went. A sock here, a shirt there, Kathryn’s sweater clung to the steps, Seven’s pants caught on the railing. They finally tumbled into the bed, nearly naked, when Kathryn suddenly halted, pulling herself upright, her breath still heaving.

“There were others then? Besides Bjayzl?” The question flew out of the ether but Seven didn’t flinch. Kathryn was straddling her while looking deadly serious. Seven only knew one remedy and before Kathryn could brace herself, Seven launched herself upwards, unseating Kathryn as she easily reversed their positions. Now looking down at the warring blue eyes, Seven smirked.

“How many was it for you then? Do you even remember?”

“Less than you think and more than you know,” Kathryn replied cryptically, her words evening the balance of power. “None of them was you.”

“No, none of them were,” Seven whispered as she lowered her face, lightly touching her forehead to Kathryn’s. Energy surged from the contact, lifting their limbs with a power beyond their own control. Seven’s lips found Kathryn’s and she kissed her hard with no preamble, their mouths crushing against each other.

Kathryn wrapped her arms around Seven’s back and pulled their bodies flush against each other. Her skin was alight feeling Seven’s cool limbs surrounding her. Kathryn expertly twisted their bodies until they were completely interlocked. Now balanced on their sides, Kathryn had full access to Seven’s long, lean body. She wasted no time in taking one of Seven’s dusky nipples between her fingers as she bit tantalizingly at the other. Seven arched her back at the sensation pushing her breast further into Kathryn’s mouth. She cried out as she did so, a shuddering, torrid moan, that left Kathryn wanting her so badly she ached inside.

Seven had grown accustomed to being in charge, especially in bed. Kathryn’s aggressiveness had taken her by storm and though she possessed superior strength, she failed to gain the upper hand. Instead, she just refused to concede, forcing Kathryn into a sexy stalemate, or so she thought.

Kathryn responded to Seven’s challenge. While Seven was still distracted by Kathryn’s lips on her breasts, Kathryn wormed her hand between Seven’s still twisted legs, easing them apart. Her fingers crept over sweat slick skin until they reached the damp curls, dripping with desire. Kathryn moaned then, her lips pulling away from Seven’s nipple with a pop.

Seven had just raised her eyes to meet Kathryn’s when she felt the full force of Kathryn’s fingers enter her. She yelled but did not break the burning eye contact as Kathryn began to move her fingers in and nearly out. Kathryn had control, at least for the moment, and luxuriated in the silken sensations adding a third finger as Seven’s screams became one long moan. 

Seven was shocked at the sensations Kathryn was causing. She’d never felt so exposed, so vulnerable. She couldn’t have fought her back now even if she tried. It was as if each thrust, each wave, washed more and more of Seven’s sandcastle walls away, leaving just her very essence at the center. She clung to Kathryn, an animalistic instinct as the waves grew higher and higher, finally washing over her with such force that she thought for a long moment that she’d been swept out to sea.

When she opened her eyes, she found Kathryn smiling, her face red and damp with sweat. Wordlessly, Seven shifted ever so slightly, moving her hand, her Borg hand, to the steamy juncture of Kathryn’s legs. Resistance was clearly futile and Kathryn parted her thighs to allow Seven access. Kathryn’s own hand had remained between Seven’s legs and suddenly they were locked together once more. Seven wasted little time as her fingers circled Kathryn’s clit before darting inside of her. Seven moved very slowly at first, drawing out her movements until she felt Kathryn mirroring her. Her control slipped once again as they began to move without reason or thought, reacting seamlessly to each other. They came, clinging tightly to one another as washes of colors and words flashed over Kathryn’s eyes. For Seven it was always colors and numbers. To each her own.

They lay side by side, gasping as their vision began to return. Seven blinked to life first and found that she was still wanting. She was unaccustomed to being more on the receiving side and she found it was not quite enough to sate her. She needed Kathryn back in kind.

Seven watched as Kathryn blinked back to life, her dazed eyes were still out of focus as they met Seven’s. Kathryn opened her mouth, as if to speak but Seven had other plans. Using her full strength, Seven kissed Kathryn before nudging her to turn around so that her back was to a Seven. Winding her arms around Kathryn’s still lithe body, Seven let her fingers roam as she held Kathryn tight with her other hand. Kathryn tried to counter, twisting one arm behind her back in an attempt to reach Seven once more.

Seven was quicker though, tipping Kathryn onto her back before dropping audaciously between her legs. She’d been aching to taste her and Seven’s mouth watered at the thought. Now in proximity, Seven’s tongue took control, drawing slow circles before dropping lower and plunging deeper into Kathryn’s cunt. While Seven did not possess a Borg-enhanced tongue, she did possess uncommon skill, and Kathryn let out scream after scream as Seven fucked her harder and harder with her mouth. With one final thrust, Kathryn came with such force that Seven found herself suddenly soaked and splayed on the damp mattress next to Kathryn. They were both dizzily spent and grinning as they gasped for air.

  
  



	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the quarantined life continues, let us disappear into a little fantasy.

The room was dark with the long shadows of late afternoon. The suns were all but set and the sky beyond the windows was shifting slowly into a darker, inkier blue. Sam and Maggie had woken up, the gloaming light disoriented them in these still unfamiliar surroundings. They had hidden when the argument had grown heated. While they were great for calming situations, it had its limits. It didn’t help that Maggie had taken a shine to Seven and so refused to take a defensive stand against her. Sam quickly realized neither woman was paying them any mind and instead of fighting with Maggie, he suggested a change of scenery instead.

The kinnea resettled themselves upstairs in the spare bedroom. Kathryn had pulled out their bed when she tore through her pack earlier. It lay tossed on the bed and Sam jumped up first. Usually not one for the bed, Sam nosed around and realized it still smelled like home. He chirruped as much at Maggie and she jumped up to join him. Together they crept into the soft felted wool. Surrounded by a sense of home, they curled up together and promptly fell sound asleep.

_Green light pulsed all around her. A buzzing surge of electricity shot through her body tensing every nerve. There were no voices, no words, just the steady thrumming, an artificial heartbeat. No, not artificial, and not coming from within her._

_She was in her alcove. She was aboard Voyager. She was not alone._

_Kathryn stood in the darkened bay. She was partially obscured by a long shadow from a storage bin but Seven could see in the dark._

_She tried to focus her eyes on Kathryn but her form seemed to shift before Seven could really see._

_“I know you’re there,” Seven heard herself say, though it should have been impossible to speak if she were really regenerating._

_Suddenly, Kathryn turned her back on Seven._

_“Captain?” Seven’s voice was small against the ever constant buzzing._

_Kathryn turned back, not her Captain of Voyager but her Kathryn of the present. As she opened her mouth to speak, Seven gasped in horror._

_A Borg implant had sprung to life on Kathryn’s cheek assimilation began almost immediately._

_Seven leapt from her alcove, screaming._

In the next room, Seven was just opening her eyes with a start. Her heart was pounding but her mind offered up no rational explanation. She hadn’t realized they’d fallen asleep. The last thing she remembered was pulling the blankets off the floor where they’d landed. Seven had wrenched them up with one arm and covered their quickly cooling bodies as Kathryn nestled herself in the crook of her other arm. Once the covers settled, Seven pulled Kathryn even closer until Kathryn’s head was tucked neatly under Seven’s chin. They must have fallen asleep that way. Kathryn was still asleep in fact through Seven’s slight stirring had begun to rouse her.

“Oh hell,” Kathryn moaned, finally opening her eyes. “What time is it?”

“Hello to you too,” Seven replied flatly but Kathryn could see her smile in the half-light.

“You are unbelievable,” Kathryn’s body was still shaking with the echoes of Seven’s touch. “Just unbelievable.”

“You’re not too bad yourself,” Seven said, kissing Kathryn lightly on the cheek before she wrenched herself out of the bed.

Seven was still gloriously naked and Kathryn amused herself by watching as she searched for her clothing. Kathryn gathered the still warm blankets tighter around herself. She could just stay there forever. As soon as she thought it though, her stomach gave an unholy growl that Seven heard from the doorway. Seven was half-clothed now having pulled on her her pants but her shirt had somehow vanished. Rummaging in a drawer next to the door, she grabbed another, this one maroon, and hastily pulled it on, ruining Kathryn’s view. Then she sat on the bed next to Kathryn, effectively pinning her beneath the sheets.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” Seven quipped.

As if on cue, the kinnea barreled into the room making Seven glad she had put her pants back on. They leapt on the bed with a flourish and began to scamper back and forth over Kathryn’s still prone form.

“Well you’re not the only one,” Kathryn laughed as she fought herself up into a sitting position. “Sam! Maggie! You want dinner?”

The kinnea immediately turned, not at the sound of their names, but at the mention of dinner.

“Seven’s going to give you dinner, go with her!” With that, Kathryn reached beneath the sheets to where Seven still sat. She let her hand trace over the glorious line of Seven’s ass before giving it a healthy pinch. Shocked, Seven jumped to her feet with a yelp. Sam and Maggie leapt down behind her and began to jump wildly at her legs. Feigning annoyance, Seven picked up a pillow from the floor and threw it at Kathryn before scampering out the door, the kinnea at her heels.

Kathryn sat back against the headboard and sighed. How the hell had she even gotten here? In less than a week, her whole life had been turned completely upside down. A week ago, she’d been drowning herself in Rai’kaw, wanting nothing more than to disappear completely. Now she lay naked in the bed of her former Astrometrics officer. The same woman that was her biggest regret, just six days ago. The same woman crashing around downstairs.

While it pained her to do so, Kathryn forced herself to get up and out of the bed. Her clothing was somehow farther afield than Seven’s had landed. She was just thinking of a quip about Borg efficiency when Seven appeared in the doorway. Kathryn was still draped in the top blanket of the bed with nothing underneath. She shivered as she waited for Seven to speak but, though Seven’s lips were parted, no words emerged. Instead, Seven stood staring, every thought in her extraordinary mind a fantastic blank. All she could think was _don’t_ _blink_ as her eyes traveled from Kathryn’s flushed cheeks to her paltry hold on the blanket. Her right hand clasped two corners together but the effect covered very little. It took all of Seven’s stubborn self-control to remain where she stood, no matter how much she wanted to throw Kathryn back on the bed. There was a reason she’d come back upstairs. She forced herself to blink and in the nanosecond separation from Kathryn’s naked form, she remembered why she’d returned.


	6. Chapter Six

Meanwhile aboard La Sirena…

Picard walked the floor of his study for the hundredth time. He could not recall being this conflicted in his days of command. He had encountered plenty of gray areas but even when the moral choice was a reach, he’d felt he generally knew his actions were for good. The reality of age removed that rosy veil to reveal more gray than good.

Seven of Nine. He should have known. The scars of Locutus practically sang when she’d first appeared on the deck. She was a sister. A daughter. Though they’d never actually met. There had been one scant encounter, in the weeks of celebrations following the debriefings and the first anniversary of Voyager’s return but they’d barely been introduced. They hardly knew one another. Yet there she was and she had surely saved them. He did owe her a ship, regardless of the rest.

And then there was Kathryn Janeway. He had wondered what had become of her. Where his own withdrawal from StarFleet had been a mostly private affair, the good Admiral Janeway had not gone down with so little fight. Her fury was justified and some of was long overdue. The brass had never really let up on her after promoting her out of action. If that wasn’t enough, well Mars and the ensuing ban, certainly was. But unlike Jean-Luc’s quiet threat, Kathryn had exploded like the supernova she’d always been, taking the opportunity to tell each of the board exactly what she thought of them. It was a display of temper the likes of which Jean-Luc had never seen and if he was honest had served as an inspiration for his own departure. Kathryn Janeway had seen the threat, the danger growing within the ranks, and she echoed the call. But before she could emerge as a new leader, she’d disappeared.

He heard that she’d retreated back to Bloomington, to care for her mother. But after Gretchen Janeway’s demise, there was no record of Kathryn. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. Even the reports of her shuttle theft and subsequent firefights had been redacted beyond any comprehension. There was literally no trace of her. Picard was shocked when Seven had mentioned her. He had wondered where Seven had gone after she fled FreeCloud, but he had not expected her to return with Janeway. It was a feat in itself.

Like her old captain, Raffi Musiker couldn’t sleep. She’d restlessly paced the deck in her small cabin but the confines were only making her more anxious. She could just take a quick walk around, then maybe she could try and sleep. She thought for a moment of going to JL, like the old days, but something had been lost. These days their footing was far more level and Raffi was still struggling with the reality of of that.

Her bare feet hit the deck of the corridor with a light this. It was cold and she instantly regretted not pulling on shoes or even socks. A familiar smell caught her nose. At once sour and deeply pungent she followed it, right to the battered end of the cigar from which it plumed. Holding the cigar between two fingers was the pirate captain Rios himself, still clearly trying to douse the stench of Starfleet in cigar smoke and ennui.

Raffi took a seat next to Rios and took a long drag of her own magic pen. Exhaling in Rios’ general direction. That finally elicited a reaction from the stoic captain.

“Bad dreams, Raffi?”

“Bad dreams would be welcome at this point. How ‘bout no sleep. I think you know that one.”

“Sure. But what of it? You telling me this little mission isn’t turning out to be an easy ride?”

“I guess I wasn’t quite prepared for the company. I mean a Seven of Nine is one thing but Admiral Janeway? Chris, I had requested to be on her service right out of the Academy. I had a massive childhood crush on the woman! This is just too much! I mean, do you really think they’ll come.”

Raffi was too agitated to sit still and she found herself on her feet once again. There wasn’t much room to pace but she was certainly giving it her best.

“Honestly Raf, I don’t know what to think, except maybe we’re all in way over our heads.”

“I just can’t believe I just met Admiral Janeway. And at the same time, just like with JL, it like where were you? She quit first too. And so there’s that thing too.”

“I think you’re a little jealous myself,” Rios smirked though it was obscured by a might cloud of smoke. Satisfied with his cigar, he finally stubbed it out much to Raffi’s relief.

“Jealous? Of who would I be jealous? You’ve been spending too much time with your holos, Chris!”

“That may be true. And honestly, I’m not sure if you’re more jealous of Seven or the good Admiral but I’d put my money on the latter.”

“Aw, come off it man,” Raffi huffed but he made a fair point. She just didn’t want to consider it. She’d felt an immediate connection with Seven but clearly she hadn’t had all the intel. The admiral on the other hand, scared the shit out of her. The force of meeting a childhood crush was no small thing and Raffi had been wholly unprepared. One thing was clear though and that was that this conversation wasn’t helping her insomnia one iota. Before she could bid Rios goodnight, a bottle appeared in his hand and he offered it to her.

“Nightcap?”

“Where’d you get ahold of Andorian Brandy?” She asked before accepting the bottle and taking a healthy swig.

“Connections,” Rios deadpanned before taking a swig himself.

“Well, thanks. That helped. Maybe I’ll try that sleep thing again. Hey maybe you should try it too sometime.”

“Goodnight, Raffi,” Rios said over his shoulder.

“Night, Chris,” she said before slipping away down the darkened corridors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we begin to drift ever so slightly away from the Picard canon. I have to follow the current. (Though I can see a post finale one shot coming)
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting. I hope I can offer some distraction from the news. Any comments are especially welcome as my cat is not a great conversationalist.
> 
> I have the good luck to be able to stay home and write. And of course take care of the wife who is continuing on working as urban farming is a critical industry here in NYC. I hope you guys are all staying safe and staying put. As a bribe for good behavior, I will update stuff as much as possible!


	7. Chapter Seven

Seven was pacing and it was starting to wear on Kathryn. The Seven she used to know didn’t pace. This was a newer nuance and one Kathryn wasn’t particularly fond. It was making her nervous as well as it highlighted how little control she actually had here. This was Seven’s place, Seven’s ship as it were, and Kathryn was unaccustomed to sharing power. (To say nothing of ceding it entirely. Seven would never expect that though.)

It was clear to Kathryn that Seven had made up her mind, the look on her face was one that Kathryn did know well. It was also abundantly clear that Seven was dissatisfied in her own reasoning. A vast range of emotions began to cascade over Seven’s features. This astounded Kathryn and a part of her sat back in wonder just to witness it. When she had last known Seven, these aspects were still in their infancy, incubated by the closed circuit of Voyager. Seven had struggled to comprehend her emotions back then. They were often an unwanted intrusion or worse they were confounding in their contradictions. Looking at the beautiful former Borg now, Kathryn saw years of experiential pain etched in the fine lines of her face. Gone was the blush of innocence that was never truly innocent. Kathryn marveled at the transformation, each line a scar of Seven’s emergent humanity.

“Seven,” Kathryn finally said. Seven stopped pacing the kitchen floor and turned to look at Kathryn. She took a seat at the table but her eyes never met Kathryn’s.

“I know you want to help Picard. I do too, but I have to do this first,” Seven replied her eyes still downcast.

“Honestly, I’m surprised we’re still here,” Kathryn placed her hand over Seven’s finally drawing her gaze. “I heard your voice after that call. It seemed a no-brainer to me. Besides, if I know Jean-Luc, this won’t be over til he gets his way.”

“So you‘ll come with me?” A cramped look crossed Seven’s face and Kathryn bit back a smile.

“Of course I will, I’m with you darling, besides who knows what other exes you have kicking around out there!”

Seven shot her a mock glare before changing gears and gathering the remnants of their dinner mess.

“The real question is, do you want to leave tonight?”

It was nearly midnight when they transported back to the shuttle hangar. Kathryn had been tempted to leave the kinnea behind but they were having none of it. Seven, to her credit, stayed out of it. They wouldn’t be gone long, she hoped anyway, but she was completely unsurprised to see their revised traveling kit slung over Kathryn’s shoulder. Sam sat on her other shoulder while Maggie was clinging to the crook of Seven’s arm.

Back on board Seven’s shuttle, Kathryn was busy storing their gear as Seven set their new coordinates. They set off on impulse drive and once they cleared the binary stars, Seven punched up the warp core and they were gone.

“So where exactly are we headed?” Kathryn had kept the inquiries to a minimum, hard as it had been. Now she let her eyes roam freely over Seven’s slender silhouette. Piloting seemed to suit her and Kathryn smiled sadly at all the things she had missed over those long and lonely years. It didn’t matter, she reminded herself, they were here now.

Before Seven could answer, the ship was rocked hard to one side. Seven took aim and fired at the attacking ship that had just decloaked before them. Kathryn did not recognize the markings of the other ship but like Seven’s it had a fully functioning cloak. The double bay of phaser canons were no joke either. Kathryn quickly jumped onto the main tactical controls as Seven banked and dove, making course changes faster than the ship could compute. With a final volley, they managed to disable the enemy ship but before they could breathe a sigh of relief, the attacking ship self-destructed and obscured the entire view screen with its fireball.

“Who the hell were they?” Kathryn demanded her command mask, just itching to be lowered.

“Sicarians from the look of it. I should have figured they’d be in this too but they’re not who were after. I’ve got a Ranger down and we gotta get to them before the bounty hunters do. They went down in a trinary system about ten light years from here. And if the Sicarians are involved, we must be getting close.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos and feedback. Hope you guys are staying safe. ❤️❤️


	8. Chapter Eight

The planet came up out of nowhere. Seven ran another scan as they dropped into orbit, cloak still engaged. The second sensor scan beeped and Kathryn raised her eyebrow in Seven’s direction but Seven was not paying her any attention. Instead she was focused on an unusual looking comm badge, one Kathryn didn’t recognize. Seven turned the chip-like badge over and over between her long fingers before she rose, flipping the chip in Kathryn’s direction.

Kathryn caught the badge and turned it over. It read Fenris Rangers on one side. She looked again at Seven who was rattling around in a cargo crate at the back of the shuttle.

“You can hang onto that,” Seven said over her shoulder as she rummaged for what turned out to be what looked like a sawed off plasma rifle. There was also a disruptor pistol on her waist.

“What is it?”

“If you need a Ranger,” Seven smiled. “They’re sort of emergency beacons. That one connects right to me.”

“And am I to assume the person we’re after signaled you with one of these?”

“Well sort of. As they’re a Ranger too, I’m only tracking her with those,” Seven reached down once more and handed Kathryn another disrupter.

“I was going to ask you to stay here and beam us out,” Seven continued, her eyes now washing over Kathryn, “but I have a feeling you’ll object. I think this should be a simple extraction but it’s up to you.”

“Don’t want to boss me around, then, darling?” Kathryn teased. “How about I give you fifteen minutes? If you haven’t signaled by then, I’ll beam down.”

“I always knew we were a good team,” Seven’s eyes sparkled in response. In a flash, she was gone and Kathryn was left to blink into the space Seven had just occupied.

The planet’s surface was harsh and barren. Seven was actually grateful for the lack of vegetation as it made her search a little simpler. In fact, she’d transported almost on top of the trail of a crashed shuttle that resembled her own currently in orbit. Almost too easy. She regretted the thought immediately.

As Seven scanned, she had the sensation of being inside a cave. In lieu of trees and brush, the surface was scattered with irregular rock formations giving the impression of stalagmites. Seven tread carefully around them. They seemed to be organic in nature and showed odd signs of possible sentience. It might explain the sensation of being watched that Seven was experiencing. Then again, maybe it didn’t.

The shuttle was wrecked beyond repair but Seven had already known that. What she didn’t know was that the damage did not appear to be from an ion storm. Instead it looked far more devastating and far more intentional. That wasn’t good. She knew at least one of the other continents on the planet housed a colony of Federation dissidents but they were thousands of leagues from them. Besides, the Rangers were not the Federation. Everybody out here knew that. Only someone intent on malice would take out one of their shuttles.

Shots rang from an outcropping and Seven dove into the shuttle for cover. Debris rained down on the hull and shots continued unabated. They were doing exactly no damage to the inert ship but Seven was trapped inside it, unable to follow the faint trail of her fallen comrade. Instead she began to tinker around a control panel in the hopes she could raise some power to the weapons array.

The attempt was proving futile and Seven’s frustration rose with her body temperature. She didn’t want Kathryn beaming down but, with each passing minute, it was quickly becoming moot. The latest volley had stopped but Seven’s enhanced hearing picked up the cadence of a language she didn’t quite recognize. 

With a small click, Seven’s finger reconnected a tiny conduit. Power surged, not to the warp core yet but to the shielding at least. Seven tried again in the hopes she could get the weapons on line as well. She bent to juryrig the underneath of the console but as she moved to stand up, she felt the muzzle of of phaser digging hard into the back of her neck.

A shimmering flash cut through the emergency lighting and Kathryn Janeway stood tall in its wake. She leveled her weapon at the stranger aiming the phaser rifle at Seven’s head.

“Drop it!” She said her voice deadly low.

“Captain?” The voice was familiar and Kathryn stared in wonder at the striking young woman who had immediately lowered her weapon.

Seven did stand then and her eyes flew from Kathryn to the green eyes of Naomi Wildman, her lost Ranger. The shuttle was hit by another volley of phaser fire and the three women were thrown off their feet.

“Well, this is no time for a reunion, ladies,” Seven stated the obvious as she fought to stand once more.

Whatever magic fix Seven applied to the shuttle was short-lived. The systems were shutting down one by one leaving the three women trapped. Seven tried desperately to beam them out as the firefight started up again. It was no use. The shielding wasn’t functioning except to block their transporter capacities. She sighed finally drawing Kathryn’s agape expression back to her.

“We can’t transport from in here,” Seven admitted with her eyes downcast. “We need to get outside.”

“Are you proposing we shoot our way out? What are we even dealing with out there? Can you at least open the viewscreen?” Kathryn reverted to sheer bossiness as her nerves grew taut. She glimpsed back at Naomi and realized her left arm was hanging limply in a half sling. “Who is firing on us, Naomi?”

“It’s the Sicarians again,” she said without looking at Janeway. “But, Sev, we gotta real problem. We think they’re working with the Tal Shiar.”

“Fuck,” was Seven’s only reply.

“Well, I’ve been spoiling for a good fight,” Kathryn declared, her command mask activating seamlessly. “You got any grenades in that bag of tricks?”

It took three rounds of grenades to push the Sicarians back enough to clear the shuttle doors. They tended to hunt in packs of eight. The explosions had taken out two of the wolfish looking aliens. Six still remained and they loosed round after round, pinning the women scant meters from transporter range. Brazenly, Janeway raised herself up just enough to draw their fire away from Seven and Naomi. It worked well, just enough for them to scoot out from the shuttle. A single round got through, knocking Kathryn from her feet with the force of the phaser blast. Seven could smell the acrid hint of burned flesh as she grabbed Kathryn by the waist and activated the transporter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprised? I couldn’t resist getting Naomi into the story. 
> 
> I’m still not entirely sure where this is heading but I truly appreciate all the support from you guys as I get there.
> 
> Let there be distraction for all!
> 
> Stay safe out there ❤️


	9. Chapter Nine

No sooner had they reappeared, when violent blast rocked the shuttle and Seven and Naomi leapt into action. Two ships were circling Seven’s cloaked shuttle. Kathryn’s shoulder burned like mad where she’d been hit. She’d been lucky it hadn’t been two inches the other way. She could almost here Voyager’s EMH lecturing her in her head. Except it wasn’t in her head, it was in fact an EMH, one that Seven had used the Doctor’s parameters to customize. He immediately set to work on Kathryn’s still smoking shoulder, tutting all the while.

“Trust me,” Seven shouted of her shoulder, “the default setting was far worse.”

Kathryn could have sworn she glimpsed a smile as Seven opened fire once more. One ship went down, followed by the other. Naomi smirked as well, her adept handling of weaponry astounding Kathryn. Naomi had still been a kid still when last they parted. Janeway had not laid eyes on her since her Starfleet graduation. She’d still looked like a kid then. That was the year before Mars, the year before her own mother’s illness, a million years ago now. Naomi was not this grown woman shooting down ships while still hanging onto a plasma rifle in the crook of her clearly broken left arm. In Kathryn’s mind, she was still that kid, but looking at her, Kathryn could see the signs of age in tiny ways. Naomi was not yet thirty yet her dark blue-green eyes felt much older. The faint spikes belying her Katarian side had sharpened slightly and combined with the hollow of Naomi’s cheeks, gave the young woman a gaunt and hungry look. Her hair had darkened as well, no longer coppery red, now it was a burnished scarlet and twisted into a once tight braid that was beginning to lose all its cohesion.

The EMH, now finished with Janeway, moved onto Naomi despite her protestations. The shuttle skated away, virtually unscathed and Seven laid in a course to take them back to Fenris.

“You couldn’t tell me it was Naomi?”

Before Seven could stutter an answer, Kathryn was on her feet and standing in front of Naomi, who, incidentally, had grown up to be be as tall as Seven. The EMH had finished with her by then, leaving Naomi’s arm resting in a sling. Slumping in her chair, she looked up at Janeway, a chilly look creeping over her fair features. She stood then and Janeway was forced to look up at her. Naomi gave her best go away glare but Janeway wasn’t budging.

“Naomi, my god!” Kathryn said refusing to be put off by Naomi’s attitude. It had been a very long time and if she’d been hanging around Seven these last years, it’s no surprise she had a beef with Kathryn. One that she totally deserved to have. “This is a far cry from captain’s assistant!”

Naomi wasn’t budging and her expression failed to hide her feelings an iota. Seven watched, knowing she should probably interject. She busied herself with running a scan instead. Still Naomi had not spoken and from the tightness of her lips, it didn’t seem promising. Then, out of nowhere sprung two furballs, so overcome by their own curiosity, they’d slipped out of their crate and made a beeline for Naomi.

Naomi’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the kinnea and her anger ebbed at their chirruping dance of introduction. It took no time for Sam and Maggie to begin their assault on Naomi’s mood, they scurried up her legs and perched on her shoulder. The helpless redhead looking from Seven to Janeway, her expression now one of perplexed panic.

Seven recalled how startled she’d been by Sam on their first meeting. She was about to finally intervene when she heard the sound of Kathryn’s captain’s mask clicking slowly into place.

“They want to make sure you’ll be nice to me, isn’t that right Seven?” Kathryn’s voice dangled in that deadly register again and she arched her eye at Naomi for good measure.

Despite her grievances, Naomi froze beneath that glare, that tone. She’d forgotten just how serious a force her old captain was. Naomi turned her emerald eyes towards Kathryn, half apology, half anger.

“You abandoned us,” she finally said, her fight diminished partly by the tiny beasts now licking her face.

“I am sorry, for that, for all of it. You can have a real go at me if you like,” Kathryn smiled sadly before glancing over at a Seven. “Seven certainly did.”

“I was pretty bent too,” Seven finally chimed in. Naomi turned towards her.

“I know you were! So what the hell is this? Last you told me you were running off to chase that twat Vajajay!”

“You call her that too huh,” Kathryn smirked feeling slightly vindicated.

“How did you even get here?” Naomi sat down heavily, the weight of all the things that had changed in the week since she’d crashed on that godforsaken rock. Sam and Maggie continued their assault by settling on top of one another in Naomi’s lap and purred loudly enough to evoke a smile.

Before Naomi could fill in any of blanks, the binary pulsar loomed just before them. Kathryn took her seat, gathering up the kinnea in her arms. She didn’t mind this part, in fact she quite liked the look of extreme concentration that came over Seven’s face.


	10. Chapter Ten

Less than an hour later, the trio was seated at the picnic table behind Seven’s house. The suns beat down on the tiny courtyard but their rays were still weak, the temperature not quite warm. The kinnea didn’t mind as they galloped around, stopping only to beg for scraps of food. As it was late morning by then, Seven had replicated them some lite fare consisting of bread and cheese as well as the remainder of the fried chicken. She’d brewed a fresh pot of coffee, mostly for Kathryn. Naomi preferred Zhixta, a favorite of the Rangers as a whole. Zhixta was a drink made from a fermented wood resin and contained a compound similar to caffeine but ten times as powerful. It’s taste was so cloyingly sweet that Seven couldn’t abide it. She replicated one for Naomi, though and winced at the electric pink color.

They had long since missed Picard and his crew. Seven had a feeling they’d be catching up with them soon enough. Besides, they were headed right for the Artifact, the disabled Borg cube controlled by the Romulans. Seven despised being aboard Borg ships almost as much as she hated the Romulans. She was secretly ok with taking a pass for the moment. Besides, it was clear she had some more pressing things to deal with.

Naomi was seated across from Janeway, her eyes had barely left the older woman. She clearly had plenty to say but she was slow to say it. She was conflicted but mostly she was angry. She’d spent so much of her young life coping with loss. Her mother, Samantha, had been stationed at Utopia Planetia when the attacks were launched. She didn’t survive the assault. Naomi had been on a year-long deep space mission, her first out of the academy. She found out by fractured comm link that she was now an orphan. Her father’s vow to never leave Samantha’s side once they’d returned from the Delta Quadrant ended up being true. They were together on Mars, working side by side, and then they were no more. Naomi had kind of lost herself then but instead of lashing out at the synths, she’d reached out to Icheb instead. It wasn’t until the ambush that killed him that she finally reconnected with Seven.

Seven had half-whispered most of that knowledge to Kathryn in the kitchen. They watched as Naomi played fetch with Sam and Maggie, her features softening at the silly antics of the dog-cats. Kathryn felt that terrible guilt rising like bile in the back of her throat. She had abandoned her crew in the end. She should have kept them close, especially Naomi. But that was long out of her hands. She could be there for her now. At least that’s what Seven had implored her to coax her back outside.

Naomi looked up at the sight of the two women she once admired the most in the whole universe. They were both far more human than she remembered and that realization did nothing to staunch her bitterness. And now Seven had switched sides on her? Like that wasn’t inevitable, Naomi sighed to herself.

“So when did this all happen?” She said snarkily, as she waggled her fingers in a circular motion at Seven’s impending form.

“That’s none of your concern,” Seven snapped back. A look of hurt crossed beneath the lines of anger etched on Naomi’s face. “Look,” she sighed, softening her tone and leaning close to the younger woman, “I need you to meet us halfway here.”

Bristling, Naomi slid back on the bench and looked squarely in Seven’s eyes.

“They got Jati and Negiva. While you were gallivanting,” Naomi’s green-blue eyes were hard and refused to even drift in Kathryn’s direction. It wasn’t helping that Kathryn was letting the waves of guilt wash over her. It was all she could do to just sit there and take it. The siren song of Rai’kaw was humming a steady beat from inside the house. She’d done well to all but forget her stash so far but the look of disgust on Naomi’s face was enough to make her thirsty as hell. She’d all but tuned out Seven’s answering remark and it was soon drowned out by a heated string of insults from Naomi. Kathryn may not have been really paying attention but she could tell from Naomi’s tone that Seven was missing the point. That gave Kathryn little recourse.

“Hey! I’m not taking her away from you,” Kathryn said leveling her stormy eyes at Naomi. “And don’t give me that I already did bullshit. This,” she said waving in Seven’s direction, “this was despite everything. But Seven doesn’t give up, even when she should.”

Seven had been digesting Kathryn’s words as she spoke them. It had not occurred to her that Naomi might be jealous, she’d idolized Kathryn as a kid. Even her bitterness about her once great Captain’s absence hadn’t evoked such a response. Seven had always cared for Naomi as best she could, especially knowing well the pain of loss and isolation. Not once had she thought to consider what that had meant to the young woman especially in those first years of mourning and anger. They had become family to each other, partly through their losses. And Kathryn Janeway had long been counted a casualty, missing, gone. Her presence now posed a threat to the fragile balance that composed their life on the frontier.

Naomi looked at Kathryn finally. Her eyes betrayed her, they always did. The hurt bloomed across her irises and instead of the roar Naomi intended, a sob, an utterly gut-wrenching sob tore from deep inside her. Faster than Seven, Kathryn moved quickly to reach Naomi, gathering her up in her arms and holding her tight.

Seven stood back, startled by Naomi’s reaction. She’d seen the younger woman wracked with grief before, she had a knack for finding Seven, but this was different. Naomi clung to Kathryn with a desperate grip and Seven would not come between them. Kathryn caught her eye for a moment but Seven found her expression unreadable. So Seven sat back and waited. She was sorely tempted to grab the bottle of whiskey but it was way too early for that. There wasn’t enough booze in the quadrant to make a dent in the traumas these three women had faced. Now that they were together, things would just have to run their course.

Naomi’s sobs had slowed, aided as well by the attentions of Sam and Maggie. They were relentless in their need to be included and had crawled up Kathryn’s back before wiggling into Naomi’s arms. Kathryn still had one arm slung around Naomi, the flat of her hand resting on her shoulder.

“Look, if you want to take it out on me,” Kathryn said half-jokingly, “then you’ll just have to get through Seven first.”

“No thank you,” Naomi snorted. “Seven had to uh-remove me from a bar once, I still have two scars. So I guess you win this one.”

“No, there’s no winning here. I know I can’t fix the past. And I took a few lumps from her too,” she said raising an eyebrow. “I deserve them all, I should have been there.”

Seven was about to interject but Naomi spoke first.

“No, _Kathryn_ , you were there when you supposed to be. On Voyager, you never left us as Captain. But life is more than Voyager it turns out and it was never on you to be omniscient. Besides, as mom used to say, you were entitled to have a life too.”

“You have grown up,” Kathryn marveled, her eyes tearing up at the mention of Samantha Wildman.

“Besides, Seven’s been in love with you for forever. And, I don’t know if you remember this, but Seven usually gets what she wants.”

“I don’t remember you being such a wise-ass,” Kathryn sniped. “Must be more of Seven’s influence there.”

“No, Kathryn, I think you’ll find she comes by it honestly,” Seven deadpanned.

“For forever, huh?”

“Yup,” Naomi replied, finally gracing Kathryn with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love on this and my other stories lately. It’s definitely helping to keep me writing through all this craziness. I hope everyone is staying safe as best they can.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penultimate chapter?! How’d that happen? 
> 
> Happy Friday (whatever that means to you these days)

The Artifact

Things had not gone great for Picard since leaving Seven behind to seek out Soji. But Elnor could do little but hope for his safety as he found himself stranded aboard the cube. It hadn’t been so bad while Hugh could help him but the Romulans had seen to that. Now Elnor was trapped, and while he was still managing to fend off the Romulans, they outnumbered him by a pretty good margin. It was not out of panic but desperation that Elnor reached for the Fenris calling card Seven had left behind. He pressed his thumb to the sigil and a jolt of energy kicked back into fingers making them jump. He’d half expected Seven to appear there, poof, and when she failed to materialize, he pocketed the chip and resumed hiding between the conduits of the Queen’s chamber.

Hours earlier…

The suns were just beginning to set and Seven felt a chill wind cut through the air. It would be a good night for a fire and she looked around at her stores of wood. Fenris didn’t have many natural attributes save for the mines on the other side of the planet. One thing it did have was a dried, fossilized mossy substance that was vaguely similarly to peat moss. It dried into rods of various sizes and Seven heaped some together with a few logs of actual wood. It only took a small spark to catch and Seven stood, satisfied with her handiwork.

The lack of raised voices heartened Seven. She’d left Naomi alone with Kathryn in the hopes they could hash out their issues. Seven was sure it wasn’t exactly that simple but she also knew she couldn’t have them not on speaking terms either. It wasn’t hard to see it from Naomi’s side. Aside from her mother Sam Wildman, Naomi had looked up to Janeway to emulate. Even as she was trying parrot Seven’s behavior when she was still a kid it was always with the ultimate goal of one day being a captain just like Janeway. Like Seven, Naomi had not had an easy transition to adulthood. The Academy had been fine, her years in the Delta Quadrant placed her far ahead of her peers in experience alone. Seven’s early tutoring hadn’t hurt their either. But it was in the years since then, especially the years after Mars that had scarred her almost beyond recognition.

Losing her parents that long ago First Contact Day had changed the entire course of Naomi’s young life. Up to that point she’d been on track with her childhood goals. She’d graduated with honors excelling in several concentrations including in Astrometrics. She was about to be promoted to the command track on her very first posting. But then Mars happened and her world broke apart at the seams. Except it wasn’t that quick and clean. It malingered from the start, beginning with her bereavement leave and how that had slid into a bender that lasted long enough for her to be stripped of her commission and booted out of Starfleet. All she remembered of that point was that both Admirals, Janeway and Picard, had resigned their commissions by then. She didn’t really care. All she wanted was to disappear but that’s when she happened into Icheb.

He’d been on shore leave and had spotted her in the dark corner of dank space station bar. They spent the entire evening catching up and for the first time in ages, Naomi felt and an annoying bubble of hope rising. It was short lived though. Icheb was ambushed just a week after that.

Naomi really did snap then. And that was when Seven found her, drunk, strung out on some Risian narcotics. And it was the best thing that could have happened to either of them. The fragile bond they’d shared aboard Voyager had come full circle as Seven bundled up Naomi and swept her away to a safe house so that she could detox in peace. Seven herself was still reeling from Icheb and from Bjayzl’s betrayal. Naomi gave her a real focal point outside herself and her grief, one she desperately needed. Slowly, her grief became their grief and together they worked through it one day at a time.

Once Naomi had recovered enough for Seven’s liking, she began to put the young Katarian through her paces. It was boot camp combined with astrophysics with a little quantum theory on top. It consumed them both and unsurprisingly Seven was an unforgiving teacher. At the end of the second month of this punishing regime, Naomi emerged fighting fit and with a new purpose, she was joining Seven as a Fenris Ranger.

Seven had finished her dinner preparations, she was trying to keep it simple and she knew they would be drinking. Knowing Kathryn’s penchant for light fare, Seven had quickly made a quiche Lorraine. She added to that an array of crudités and a basket of hand cut fried potatoes. It was not her most nutritious endeavor but Seven knew the combination of fat and carbohydrates would help absorb the impending alcohol. She’d just finished setting up a small cheese board when Kathryn waltzed into the kitchen. Seven raised her eyes and just watched as Kathryn wove around the counter and headed right for her. Silently, she snaked her arms around Seven’s waist and tugged her close, kissing her teasingly with just her lips. Smiling, Seven kissed her back with authority. The kiss may have deepened still had they been alone. As it was, Naomi had followed Kathryn into the kitchen. She might have escaped their attention if she had not also been followed by two starving kinnea neither of whom was shy about saying so.

Kathryn stepped away from Seven and set to making their cocktails. They decided to stay in the kitchen and Kathryn placed the finished drinks on the counter. Bourbon all around. Then she set about fixing a The kinneas’ dinner though she was not nearly fast enough if you listened to their whining. Finished, she took a seat on one of the barstools at the counter. Naomi had done the same. Seven chose to sit between them and was the first to raise her glass in a toast.

“For all those we have lost, for all those we will save.”

The bourbon seared their throats and Naomi’s eyes watered. She was more akin to sweeter tasting substances. She was their peer now though and this was her way of reaffirming that.

Kathryn looked at Seven and merely raised her eyebrow.

“It’s the toast of the Rangers. I find it brings me solace,” Seven answered the question Kathryn hadn’t needed to ask.

Naomi’s eyes jumped from one woman to the other. A smirk played around the corner of her lips. Seven noticed immediately. Her eyes met Naomi’s which elicited a full giggle, an echo of the girl Naomi had been when they first met.

“What’s so funny, kid?” Kathryn bit.

“I just can’t believe you two finally got together. I mean after all these years,” the giggle spilled into full laughter as Naomi felt the rush of the bourbon hit her bloodstream.

“Is it that funny?” Kathryn quipped to Seven.

“No,” Naomi answered between chuckles, “it’s actually really great. You know my mother hoped the two of you would find each other again. I think she’d be real happy seeing you guys like this.”

It was Kathryn’s turn to fall speechless. Seven’s eyes turned towards hers and Kathryn spied tears clinging to her long, blonde lashes.

“She’d be even happier to see how well her daughter grew up,” Kathryn said finding her voice.

Sensing seriousness, the kinnea sprung into action once more. They’d bolted their dinners and were suddenly careening around the kitchen at top speeds. Their zooming drew the attention of all three women and once they’d finished laughing at the pets, they felt their moods lightened immensely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s one more chapter coming and I just now started on part three. Thanks for helping me keep this, and many of my other works, going. There will be more soon.
> 
> Thanks for being awesome and stay safe 😷!


	12. Chapter Twelve

The evening passed too quickly after that. The trio talked and ate and drank. Mostly they remembered, remembered a time before the hurt, before they knew all that awaited them in the Alpha Quadrant. And even when the memories twisted maudlin, they did not break. The bonds of a lifetime long ago still held true and for a few long hours, they managed to find some succor in each other.

It was late, nearly 0100, when the little party broke up. Naomi had opted to spend the night and made her way to Seven’s study at the back of the house. Clearly, Naomi’s crashing here was not rare. It heartened Kathryn to realize that and it softened an iota of her guilt. Climbing the stairs, she took Seven’s hand and smiled. Seven smiled back and happily followed as Kathryn made a beeline for Seven’s room.

The door was barely shut before Kathryn pounced, catching Seven slightly off balance. They stumbled into the bed, drunken clumsiness overridden by the far stronger force of desire. It took little time for their clothes to be shed, thrown from the bed in a flurry. With a sudden panic, Kathryn remembered Naomi was just downstairs and tried her best to squelch a deep moan with her pillow. Seven smirked at her attempt. She captured Kathryn’s lips instead and refused to part until she’d swallowed the entirety of Kathryn’s lusty climax. Kathryn returned the favor by twisting around on Seven’s body. Their mouths now mutually engaged, they were free to moan as waves of pleasure ran like a Möbius strip, rippling and refracting until they finally fell apart quite spent.

Kathryn crawled back to the head of the bed and smiled goofily at Seven. Exhausted, she dropped down with her head resting on Seven’s shoulder. Moments later, they were both asleep.

The buzz woke Seven from the nebulous dream she’d been having. It hadn’t woken Kathryn and she turned, a small snore escaping her lips. Seven slid carefully, extracting herself from Kathryn’s tangled sleep embrace. Sitting up, she heard the buzz again and now she could see clearly the faint glow emanating from the pocket of her pants across the floor. She knew what that tiny light meant and her heart dropped.

Morning broke brightly, the remnants of bourbon refracted on the too vivid rays. Kathryn as she stretched out before opening her eyes. She reached for Seven but the space beside her was empty and cool to the touch. Sitting up, panic surged into Kathryn’s waking mind. Sure Seven could be in the shower or just downstairs but Kathryn knew in her gut she wasn’t. She flew out of the bed and pulled on the first clothes she found on the floor. Then she ran out of the room and down the stairs, her heart pounding out the inevitable conclusion.

Naomi sat at the kitchen counter and turned when she heard Kathryn thunder in.

“She left us a note,” Naomi deadpanned. Kathryn snatched the paper from the counter, her temper rising with her anxiety.

“I have to do this one alone. I’m sorry. Love- S”

“Is she fucking kidding?” Kathryn all but spat.

“I bet she got beaconed.”

“Beaconed?” Kathryn’s mind was racing faster than her pulse.

“Yeah, like how I called her.”

“With one of those chips?”

“Yeah. But Seven has a lot of markers out there. Who knows where she went?” Naomi reasoned with some accuracy.

“I think I know,” Kathryn said lowly, “but I have no actual idea where it is.”

Kathryn’s head ached. This was too much especially first thing in the morning and with a vague hangover. Wincing, she made her way to the replicator, she didn’t have patience to wait for brewed coffee. As she sipped at her first mug full, she absently played with chip in her pocket. She took it out and set it on the counter in front of her. At the sight of it, Naomi’s eyes grew wide.

“Of course she gave you one!”

“What, so I can call her on it?”

“No, that’s not quite how they work. They’re not communicators, think more basic. And besides, if it’s not an emergency, she won’t answer.”

“Tried that before, have you?”

Naomi shot her a dirty look but Kathryn let it go.

“So if I can’t call her or whatever, what can I do with it?”

“We can track her with it. We just need to reverse its polarity. It’s a Ranger failsafe.”

“Well, I guess it’s you me, kid. Now I hope you have a ride,” before Kathryn had finished speaking, she realized the answer. They’d left Naomi’s ride in pieces on that far-away hell planet. “OK well, that’s where we start then.”

An hour later, Kathryn was trailing behind Naomi as they trudged through the early morning streets looking for Naomi’s contact. She couldn’t just request one from the Rangers, this was personal. But they could buy one and Naomi had plenty of currency thanks to Kathryn. It turns out that Rai’kaw was a hot commodity in these parts. There were no suitable conditions to brew the vile stuff here so Kathryn’s stash of six liter size bottles was enough to get them a shuttle. Kathryn didn’t think twice about giving them up, her only thought for the last hour was about catching up with Seven.

By the time the suns had set, Naomi and Kathryn had the barebones of a plan. They would set out first thing in the morning in the hopes their hunches were correct. As Kathryn trudged upstairs, she walked into the spare room, not to gather her belongings but to look at one of the pictures. It was a shot from Voyager, the one that hung to the right of the doorframe. It was a group shot of the senior staff except it was an accidental candid. In it, Kathryn was clearly staring at Seven in a very unmaternal way. It was easy to overlook the eyes Kathryn was making, after all she was overshadowed by the image of Tom Paris covered in custard pie. Kathryn stared at the picture now and only now did she spy Naomi hiding in the corner of the frame. Her child eyes were lit with delight at the antics of then Ensign Paris, but her gaze was fixed on someone else entirely. Those bright eyes were fixed on Captain Janeway.

Kathryn gathered herself up then and with the kinnea, walked down the hallway to Seven’s empty bed. Tomorrow they would start, tonight they would dream of yesterday.

Many light years away, Seven felt her heart ache for what she had done. She hadn’t had much choice. She’d barely made it in time as it was. Still, she knew she’d pay for this choice. She just hoped she’d be able to apologize to Kathryn when this was all over.

To be continued in...When Stars Collide, coming to AO3 as soon as I can write it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger?!? 
> 
> I had to, Seven pretty much had a gun to my head. But never fear, our heroines with be back with a vengeance.
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and great comments. You guys are super. 
> 
> Please stay safe out there! 😷❤️👍

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos graciously accepted. Please let me know what you think and thanks for reading!


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